Reckless
by McGeekle
Summary: The last thing that Ziva David thought she would be doing was standing outside of Tony DiNozzo's apartment building, but there she was. Post ep for 8x05.
1. Chapter 1

The last thing that Ziva David thought she would be doing was standing outside of Tony DiNozzo's apartment building, but there she was. She leaned against the hood of her car looking up at his window, fourth floor, sixth window from the left. She could see light gently flickering through the window, he was probably watching a movie, Bond if she really had to choose. She thought back to how she got there in the first place, and oddly, that was kind of a blur. They had finished their paperwork from the case, she and Tony stealing glances from one another across the bullpen along the way. They parted ways with a smile in the parking garage, but by the time she got home, something didn't feel right. She couldn't stop thinking about what Tony had told her. "_I miss the old Ziva" _

As she sat on her couch with a glass of merlot she contemplated his words. Did he really prefer the old Ziva? Did he not like the person she'd become? Sure, she enjoyed what they'd had five years ago. She didn't regret a second of what happened that night undercover. It was filled with a naked lust, heat and passion that she had never felt before, A messy blur of touches, nips, caresses and tongues. She smiled looking back on the memory. Since then, their relationship changed. Gone were the subtle touches and the sexual innuendos, replaced more with a deep understanding of one another. Though she was grateful her partner could know her more fully, she missed the burning desire she could feel coming off him in waves when they got too close. Today was the first time she felt that passion she thought died so long ago. The heat of her body on top of his, the weight of his hands clutching her waist, their faces so close, mere inches between them...she intended on getting it back. She leapt off her couch, quickly washing and primping herself before jumping into her car and driving to Tony's.

So there she stood, now doubting everything she thought now looking at the situation at hand. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to his door, hoping that she would be right, just this once.

Tony heard a faint knock at his door, wondering who could be looking for him at 12:14 am. As he opened the door, he gasped faintly in surprise.

"Ziva." he breathed in.

She was wearing a tight black top and a pair of tan cargo pants, her hair was curly and wild, her face only sporting the faintest of makeup, exactly how she would have presented herself five years ago.

"Hello Tony," she said as he looked her up and down, drinking her in fully. "May I come in?"

"Yeah." he said stepping aside and allowing her entrance.

He shut the door and continued to stare at Ziva for a while before working up the ability to speak.

"Do you want a beer?" He asked mentally head slapping himself for not being able to come up with something better to say.

"Sure, thank you." As he disappeared around the corner to his kitchen she took a couple of deep breaths, hoping to ease some of the nerves that had worked their way into her body. She smiled as he reappeared, handing her a drink.

"So...what are you doing here?" he said after another moment of silence.

"Well, you said that you missed the old Ziva."

"Yeah."

"That is what I am here to give you."

"The old you?"

"Yes. You see, Tony, there was a time that whenever I wanted something, I would just go out and take it. I was careless, reckless, exactly as you met me five years ago."

" And now?" She took his beer and set it on the coffee table.

"Now," she said slowly backing him up against the wall, pinning him there, her body flush with his. Her nose gently brushed his, her breath hot against his lips, "Well, now I am feeling very reckless."

* * *

So there's the first part...This is my first attempt at a Tiva fanfic, so constructive criticism is always appreciated. :) Thanks so much for reading!

-Em


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: You guys! Thank you so much for all of the reviews and story alerts! I am so flattered and excited that you're enjoying my story. This chapter is mostly fluff/smut, but there's nothing explicit.

* * *

He stared at her as though she had three heads. Her proximity was making it hard to think, the smell of her perfume combined with the heat of her body made her almost irresistible to touch. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He settled his hands at the waistband of her pants, just brushing the top of her ass. She looked up at him, trying to read his expression before throwing caution to the wind and closing the small gap between them.

As soon as her lips touched his, the spark that they thought was gone came rushing back. He responded quickly after a moment of incredulity. She pecked at his lips, gradually opening him up, slipping her tongue into his mouth. He kissed back with just as much passion, their tongues dueling for dominance as his hands worked their way up her body, brushing her sides teasingly. Her hands worked through his hair, pulling her to him, kissing him with a bruising force. Ziva worked her hands down his chest, unbuttoning Tony's shirt along the way.

Tony grasped the back of Ziva's thighs, lifting her up off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them over to the couch, sitting them down so that Ziva could straddle him. She hovered above him, allowing him to kiss and suck her neck. She gasped in pleasure as he found a particularly sensitive spot near her collar bone. She knew that he was going to mark her, let the world know that she was his, and she didn't give a damn.

Soon he ripped her shirt off of her and ravished the new skin he had revealed. Her scent was intoxicating, urging him on and on. Ziva brought her lips to his once again, grinding her hips down onto him, relishing in the feeling of him underneath her.

Tony groaned loudly at the contact, but surprised her when he flipped them over, pressing her down into the couch cushions. Ziva gasped. She was thrilled at the prospect of a power struggle, all the more fun. He kissed a trail down between her breasts and down her stomach, each spot of skin softer than the last. He was determined, he was going to make it his mission to make her scream his name. As he brought himself back up to her mouth, her hands slid underneath the waistband of his jeans. He could tell that she wanted him, and that she expected to have him, but his gut kicked in just then. Tony grabbed her hands and pulled away, looking Ziva straight in the eyes, into her soul. She was surprised when she saw a gleam of worry and caution among the lust-filled haze they had created.

"Ziva, I need to know if you're sure about this, because if we go further, I don't know that I'll be able to stop," he said.

"Would you have asked the old Ziva that?"

"No, I don't think I would have."

"Then do not ask me now. I am here, am I not?"

"Yeah, but."

"Yes, Tony. I am sure."

She clung to him, taking his lips with hers once again as he lifted her up off the couch. She couldn't get enough of his taste, his touch, his tongue and god, his hands, his hands were everywhere. She continued in her mission of ridding him of the rest of his clothing as he walked them into his bedroom, kicking the door closed along the way.

* * *

You thought you were getting the full monty didn't you? Alas my friends I am not the best at writing smut, but I will give it a shot if you would like. On another note, there is more to come from this story, I should have the next chapter up in a day or so.

-Em


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: First of all I would like to thank everyone who is reviewing and alerting this story. You guys rock my socks. This next chapter is a short one, but it is necessary to the story. I know that I want to try to get up another chapter this weekend, but here's the thing. I'm 21, in college, and this weekend is Halloween...which basically means that I'm going to be wasted for the next three to four days. I will try my best to get another chapter out this weekend. :)

Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine no matter haw many times I have made it my birthday wish. I forgot to disclaim the first two chapters...wasn't mine then either.

* * *

Ziva awoke the next morning before the sun could even think about coming up. She kept her eyes closed and took a deep breath, relishing in the fact she could still smell sex, sweat and the special smell that was uniquely Tony. Her hair was splayed around her, her head resting on Tony's chest. She smiled when she felt their legs tangled together and heard him snore ever so slightly. She could feel the weight of his arm clutching her tightly to him just above the small of her back. She shifted slightly so that she could hear his heartbeat, snuggling into him just a bit more. She lay there, just smelling him, listening to his heartbeat for longer than she would care to admit. Taking it all in, she knew that she could stay in this position forever and never once complain.

Eventually she worked up the courage to carefully extract herself from Tony's embrace. She kissed him one final time on his chest, right above his heart, gathered her clothes, and with one last glance at her sleeping lover, left his apartment.

It wasn't until she got out to her car that she she realized tears were already flowing freely down her cheeks.

* * *

When Tony awoke several hours later, he immediately knew something, or rather someone, was missing. He grabbed his boxers and climbed out of bed, wondering where she could be. He searched his apartment for his beautiful Israeli to no avail. He collapsed onto his couch, running his hands through his hair, wondering what he could have done wrong. He asked, he made sure that she was okay with what they did, and she thoroughly enjoyed herself, he was certain. She couldn't just leave after what happened, with the connection that they had made. For god's sake, he could still smell her on him and she'd already decided that she didn't want him. He shook his head, trying to get his mind right, trying to figure out how the hell this had gone wrong.

He got up, the anger curling off of him in waves, to take a shower. It was already 0700, and he wasn't about to get Gibbs slapped on top of all of this. Though the water beating down on him did release some of the tension in his muscles, it did nothing to relieve the frustration he felt. He dressed silently, working over what he would say to her in his mind. As he was leaving his bedroom he spotted something that definitely didn't belong, a pair of lacy, black panties. _Ziva's_ lacy black panties. He stuffed them in his pocket and left for work, the door rattling with a resounding slam in his wake.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello my faithful readers, I'm sorry it's taken me a bit to update. It was Halloween this weekend, so I wasn't really in any state of mind to be writing coherently. Also I learned that I write the best at 3am and during my boring classes. So thank my communication research methods professor, for it is in his class that this chapter was born. :) **

**Disclaimer: Not mine. :(  
**

* * *

Ziva willed herself to stop shaking. Since she had left Tony's that morning she just couldn't stop. She drove home trembling because of her tears. Then to try to get her mind off of her situation she went for a run, exerting herself so much that her legs were shaking so badly she very nearly collapsed before she made it home. Now standing in the elevator at NCIS she was so nervous that her hands refused to stop twitching. She took many deep breaths while having a silent conversation with herself.

"This will be fine," she said to herself. "This is what he wanted. You knew what you were getting into when you started this whole thing. When he starts talking about a date he has tonight or anything of the sort you will just have to deal with it. You have been doing so for some time now, and today should be no different."

She continued to breathe, trying to summon up that steely facade that used to come so easily not too long ago. She took one final deep breath to settle herself as the elevator doors opened and she strode into the bullpen trying her best to look more confident than she felt. She sighed in relief when she saw she was the first to arrive. She sat down at her desk and only glancing at the empty desk that would soon hold her partner, the pain in her heart and the shaking of her hands began again.

* * *

When Gibbs strode into the bullpen with his second cup of coffee of the morning he could sense that something was wrong. Ziva was practically vibrating with tension. He could tell she was trying her best to hold herself together, and to anyone else she looked perfectly put together, but he was one of the few that could see the cracks in her shell. He didn't get any distressed phone calls in the middle of the night, so that ruled out Eli...this was probably DiNozzo's fault. He scowled at the notion. He sat down at his desk as the elevator dinged once more and Ziva jumped. Ziva doesn't jump. Just then DiNozzo came strolling into the bullpen. He glanced at Ziva, and by the way her jaw tightened, he could tell she was just setting her resolve before putting on her clam, mona lisa-smiley face.

He turned his attention to DiNozzo. He was walking oddly, lacking the ease that normally dominated his form. His shoulders were set, hands clenched and his movements tight and controlled. Whatever happened between them, it was worse than he thought. He shook his head, knowing that today would be much tougher than the one before.

Tony entered the bullpen, only glancing at Ziva before giving her a clipped "good morning"

"Good morning, Tony," she said calmly.

He sat down heavily, refusing to make eye contact with her. She watched him for a moment, confused. He was angry with her. Why was he angry? He had no reason to be. He wanted Ziva from five years ago, and that is exactly what she gave him. She had given herself to him, and he was the one that was going to move on to the next thing in a skirt within the week. She shook her head slightly in disbelief. She turned back to her computer, waiting to get a call out.

An hour later they finally got a call. Ziva sighed in relief that she could move away from her desk and Tony's withering stare. Gibbs barked orders about a dead marine in Norfolk, and to get McGee to meet them there, wherever he may be. Anything to get away from the inescapable tension that had settled over the bullpen.

* * *

A few hours later they returned with the body of Sergeant Amy McKinnon, who had been shot execution style and left in the woods. Some hikers had stumbled upon her body and immediately called the police. They didn't know much, which was adding to the quickly mounting pile of negative energy floating around the office. Gibbs had gone to check in with Abby, leaving the bullpen lacking a certain amount of stress, a nice break after the long day of barking orders that preceded.

Ziva was still dodging glares from Tony, providing none of her own thus far, hoping that she wouldn't make the situation worse. Tony was throwing paper balls at McGee, who had a good deal of car trouble this morning and was in a grouchy mood all his own. He refused to engage with Tony, allowing the balls to continually bounce off of him. Ziva could tell McGee was getting frustrated with the situation and was about to stick up for him when Gibbs re-entered the bullpen.

"What have we got?" He said, daring them to tell him they hadn't found anything.

"Throw it up on the big screen, McTechie." Tony said as he and Ziva got up from their desks with their findings.

"Amy McKinnon, 30, died from a gunshot wound to the head approximately 24 hours ago," Ziva recited."Exemplary military record, no complaints of odd behavior from any of her superiors, and no reports of any known enemies. She was, however being considered for a special mission."

"What kind?" Gibbs asked.

"We were told that it was confidential and that we were not privy to that information." Ziva explained.

"McGee, do some poking around."Gibbs said

"You mean the illegal kind?" he asked

"Yeah. That kind," He turned back to Ziva. "What about personal life?"

"She has a husband, Kyle McKinnon with whom she was having some marital problems. Her husband said that she left him over a month ago."

"Why do you think she left?" Tony asked "I mean, what could be so bad that she would just up and leave him like that? What do you think, Ziva? I mean, you have a bit of a reputation for leaving when things get tough."

"DiNozzo." Gibbs said warningly

"I assume it had something to do with her marital problems, maybe with this secret mission." Ziva explained, but she could tell it went unheard, at least by Tony.

"I just want some insight." He said, gesticulating towards Ziva, his tone growing more hostile. "I mean, you have to admit she doesn't have the best track record for sticking around when things get a little bit hairy, a little emotional even. The ice queen shuts down and runs away from anything that could possibly thaw her out, and she leaves the rest of us behind in the dust."

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs said forcefully. He glanced over at Ziva, and she looked like she'd just been slapped.

DiNozzo looked around for a second before turning on his heel. "I need to hit the head." He said. It took Ziva less than 30 seconds to take off after him.

Gibbs sat back down in his chair, intent on looking up more information on the husband.

"Boss?" McGee asked.

"Let them work it out on their own, McGee." he said.

"Even if they rip each other apart," he thought, "at least they'll resolve whatever rule-breaking issue is causing this mess. All that's left is to wait."

* * *

**I wasn't entirely happy with this chapter, but I hope it suits your fancy. I am almost finished writing the next chapter, you'll have it as soon as I'm done. Until next time, Em. **


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry that I kept you waiting for this chapter. My life kind of got in the way this week, and I haven't had all that much time to write. I would like to thank all of you again who have been reviewing, favoriting and alerting this story, it is truly appreciated.

Until next time, Em

* * *

Tony stood in the bathroom, just waiting for Ziva to come in. He knew she wasn't far behind him. He stood with his arms across his chest, bringing a hand up to rub his face in his frustration.

"Tony," she said as she came bursting into the men's room. "What are you doing?" She immediately took a defensive stance directly in front of him, her hands on her hips and fury straining to stay hidden in her voice.

"I could ask you the same thing." He shot back angrily.

"Why are you so angry with me?" she asked, clearly frustrated with the irate man in front of her.

"After last night, Ziva, how could I not be mad?"

"What are you talking about? As I recall you enjoyed yourself quite a lot last night."

"And I thought you had too."

"I did," she said almost to herself as Tony continued his rant

"So imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to find you gone, and not even a trace of you save for these." he said as he pulled her underwear out of his pocket. She quickly snatched them back.

"Give me those." she spat at him.

"Was it really that horrifying that you left so fast you couldn't even stop to find your panties?"

"NO." she yelled.

"Then why did you leave?"

"Because that's what you wanted!"

"What?" he said, dropping his anger and adopting a very confused tone

"You told me that you missed the old me, the one who was wild and reckless, and that is what I gave you. No strings attached. A one night stand. You should be familiar with the term, or have you been lying to me all this time?" she said, the fury unleashing itself on her partner.

"Are you serious? You're really going to hold that against me?" He fumed, "You've had your fair share of lovers too, if I remember correctly, and some of them much more recently than me."

"He is just a friend, Tony! I have told you this many times and yet you refuse to believe me."

"How can I? It's no secret that you've lied to protect yourself and your boyfriends before." She took a deep breath and stared at him with fire in her eyes, masking the pain that she truly felt. How _dare_ he bring up Michael.

"I cannot understand why you think you always need to know what is going on in my personal life? Can you not just fly off for once?"

"Buzz off." he corrected.

"Is that really important right now, Tony?" she snapped.

"No...no it's not." he said, lowering his voice significantly. He clenched his jaw, thinking hard about what he was going to say next. Ziva slowly clenched and unclenched her fists, staying planted in her spot, unwilling to relent any ground she may have gained in this battle.

After a moment of silence, Tony spoke again. "I just want to know why you left." He said.

"It is what the old Ziva would have done." she said softly, not meeting his eyes.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"You didn't hate what we did last night?"

"No."

"And you don't regret it?"

She thought back to the previous night, she was having a good deal of trouble holding back her emotions as she said, "No."

"So you just up and left in the middle of night not out of shame but because..."

"I have said it before, I thought it was what you wanted me to do."

"Why?"

"The Tony I knew was a man who would pick up anything in a skirt. Who was frivolous and careless, and I thought would much rather wake up without the complication of having another person in his bed." She said, now looking straight up at him, his green eyes boring into her brown ones.

"How could you possibly think that I'm the same person that I was then? Do you have any idea how much I've grown up these past few years?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then why would you come over to my apartment, throw yourself at me, and expect everything to be the same?"

"I hardly threw myself at you." she said indignantly.

"You kind of did."

"I did not."

"Showing up at my apartment in the middle of the night, pushing me up against my wall and kissing me definitely counts as throwing yourself at me."

"Is there a point you were trying to make, Tony?"

"I just can't understand why you would do that."

"I feel as though I am continuously repeating myself." She said, growing frustrated once again. "You said that you missed the old Ziva, and that is what I intended to give you."

"Did you ever think that maybe I didn't just want the old you? That I liked the new one just as much?" He said quietly.

"No, I did not."

"Maybe you should." He said, stepping closer to her.

"Tony, what are you saying?" she said, searching his face for answers

He took a deep breath, brought his hands up to her waist gently, holding her with those hands she so often dreamed about touching her all over. He looked directly into her eyes and said "I love you, Zi,"

A pin drop could be heard in the silence that followed. To Tony it felt like forever before she said, "What?"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello lovies. This very well may be the conclusion to this story! There may be one more chapter in store, but I'm not quite sure yet. It depends how bored I am in class tomorrow. Again, thanks for reading, and lots of thanks for all those who review, favorite and alert. You guys really do make my day. ~Em

* * *

Gibbs and McGee sat quietly at their desks as the sounds of Tony and Ziva fighting floated into the bullpen. McGee would cast a worried glance towards the men's room, then back at Gibbs, then back at the men's room before resuming his work checking the financial records of the victim and their suspects. Gibbs continued to work without even looking up in reaction to the bickering that was taking place. He did, however notice Tim looking at him every five minutes like clockwork. The next time he finally decided to say something.

"Got a problem, McGee?" He said, his head snapping up to look at his junior agent.

"Uh...no boss, I was just thinking...they've been in there for a while now...do you think everything's going to be okay?"

"Well, I don't know. Are they still screaming at each other?"

"Yes."

"Then at this point I think the answer would be no." He said. McGee quickly nodded his head before turning back to his work. A few minutes later, the yelling ceased, but neither Tony nor Ziva returned to the bullpen. Once again, McGee looked extremely concerned.

"McGee, if you're so worried, why don't you go check on them?"  
"Boss?"

"Go make sure she didn't kill him."

"Uhm...okay" he said, standing up and making his way towards the men's room.

"Oh my god," he thought, "What if she really did kill him? She's capable sure, but what could Tony have said to her to bring it on?" He groaned inwardly, "Of all the things that would piss Gibbs off, having to train a new agent was definitely at the top of the list." As McGee approached the men's room, the muffled sounds of people speaking at a relatively normal volume could be heard. He sighed in relief. "Thank god," He thought. "They haven't killed each other." Just as he was about to turn around, silence fell over the hallway.

McGee had quite the internal battle on his hands. He could walk back to the bullpen, tell Gibbs that they hadn't killed each other yet...or he could stand here, hovering outside the bathroom and possibly find out what they've been fighting about. But then he risked death if they came out and caught him eavesdropping. Before either side of his conscience could win out, suddenly he heard a loud bang. A split second later he went bursting into the men's room, hopefully to stop his co-workers from ripping each other apart.

* * *

Ziva stood staring at Tony for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he said. "He LOVES me?" she thought. She slowly backed away from him, bowing her head, bringing her hands up to her forehead. She stood in the middle of the room, just breathing and rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. Tony's face fell, expecting the worst. After taking a moment to breathe she said "Are you serious?"

"Why would I lie about that?" he asked, baffled.

"I am certain that you have said it before to other women, and I am simply wondering if you mean it."

"Of course I mean it," he said, clearly not expecting this reaction from her.

"You cannot really expect me to believe that."

"Why not?" He said angrily.

"Tony, How could you possibly love me? I am an assassin. I have killed more people than you could possibly imagine, and I am broken, damaged. That has been made clear to me by many. How could you possibly want me?"

"First of all, you were an assassin. Emphasis on the were. That isn't who you are anymore. Second, you are not broken, you are a whole person with some emotional baggage, which I've gotta tell ya, I've got a whole lot of too."

"That does not change who I was. It does not erase what I've done." Tony walked towards Ziva, taking her hands in his own.

"Ziva, I don't care what you've done in the past. If you do decide to tell me some of it, I will probably be shocked, but it doesn't mean that I will love you any less. It doesn't change how far you've come. You are not the woman you were five years ago. Hell, you aren't the woman you were last year. You have overcome so much to become the person standing in front of me. You are the strongest person I know, and that is why I love you."

He told her he loved her three times in the past five minutes. His sincerity coupled with his proximity was overwhelming her. Ziva refused to look up at him, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Ziva, you have to give me something here. I'm not really good at this pouring my heart out thing."

She looked up at him with tears brimming her eyes, refusing to fall."Neither am I," she finally said. "You have to understand, I have been waiting for this to happen for quite some time. I do not know what it feels like to truly love another person, I have never allowed myself that, but I know what I feel when I am with you. I do not know if I can do this, because if we do, I will not be able to handle it when something goes wrong."

"Why does something have to go wrong?"

"It is us, Tony. It is inevitable that we will do something to hurt the other."

"We won't."

"How can you know that?"

"When you love someone the way I love you, you do anything you can to make it work."

"Did you just take that from a movie?" she asked, laughing softly

"Nope, that's authentic DiNozzo cheese."

"It gets better with age, yes?"

"Well I'd really like to find out, if that's alright with you." He said, bringing his hands up to gently cup her face.

"I think that might be okay."

"Good." He said as he finally lowered his lips to hers, connecting them once more in a gentle, passionate kiss. This kiss lacked the lust of their first the previous night, but held the promise of a long, albeit interesting relationship. The pair clumsily walked backwards until Ziva's back hit the wall of the toilet stall with a bang. She giggled as they continued to make out in the men's room, a scenario that she had imagined before, but not under these circumstances.

Not even 30 seconds after the bang, McGee came rushing through the door, stopped dead in his tracks by what he found. Tony and Ziva were kissing. _Kissing_. And not just kissing, but kissing _with tongue._

"I...I..." he fumbled. Tony turned his head to face McGee as Ziva buried her face in his shoulder, trying not to laugh at the whole situation.

"McProbie we're a little busy here," he said as McGee continued to stare "We'll be out in a minute." Without hesitation he turned back to Ziva, who was poorly stifling her amusement before resuming their previous activities.

* * *

McGee dashed out of the room and back to the bullpen as though he'd been burned. As he sat down at his desk, Gibbs couldn't help but smile.

"So, what've you got for me, McGee."

"They're uh...fine, boss."

"Well alright then. And I need those financials."

"On it, boss."

Gibbs kept the smile plastered on his face as he turned back to his computer. Yep, he knew it was just a matter of time. "But," he reminded himself, "that doesn't mean they're not gonna get the biggest headslap of the year." He got up, barking 'coffee break' to McGee before heading to the elevator. Oh, they could wait for their reprimand until he got back. After all, he always did look more intimidating with a cup of coffee in his hand.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey lovies, due to not just one day of boredom in class but TWO, I give you yet another chapter of this story. I feel like this is really going to be the last chapter this time, mostly due to the fact that I have a monster paper about Stanley Kubrick and his continued influence on American cinema due soon, as well as auditions for my school's production of _Chicago_ to worry about. Thank you all for your continued support of this fic, I really really appreciate it. hearts! ~Em

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. bummer.

* * *

Tony stood embracing Ziva where McGee had left them moments ago. Her head was resting on his chest, breathing in the comforting smell of him. They were really doing this. She turned to look up at him and he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"We are going to talk more about this later," Ziva said more as a demand than a question.

"Absolutely. Do you want to come over to my place after work?" he asked

"I suppose that would work," she said smiling. He leaned down to peck her lips once more.

"Well, as much as I'd like to go right now, it's time to face the music."

She furrowed her brow in confusion, "What music?" she asked.

"It's just an expression. It means that now we have to go deal with Gibbs."

"What has that got to do with music?"

"Well...it doesn't, really." he said.

"I will never fully understand your language."

"I'll do my best to explain it to you. But now you're just procrastinating."

"I know. We have to talk to Gibbs."

"yeah."

"Does he really have to know?" she asked

Knowing him he already knows and will headslap us as soon as we get out of here."

"Yes. And I suppose the consequences will be lessened if we tell him ourselves rather than him finding out."

"Are you ready for this? He's probably gonna be mad."

"Like I have not made him angry before. And I do not think I will ever be truly ready, but we have to leave this room sometime."

"Alright then," he said, gently kissing her for the last time before going to meet their fate. They walked side by said back to the bullpen. The first thing they noticed when they got there was that it was empty.

"Where is he?" Ziva said, standing at the edge of the bullpen.

"I don't know."

"Is he right behind you?"

"I don't think so. I haven't been head slapped yet."

"Where could he be?"

"With Abby, maybe?"

"Getting coffee."

"Another distinct possibility. Either way we're left with two scenarios. Either he wasn't here when we were arguing and doesn't know anything, or he knows everything and he's waiting for us to sweat it out."

"I would say the latter is more likely." Ziva said.

"Yeah, me too. We just have to play it cool until he comes back."

"Play it cool?"

"Act like nothing happened." He said as he sat down at his desk.

"Oh, I see." she said as she mirrored Tony's actions. "We wait."

Tony and Ziva waited in the bullpen for 20 minutes Tony became more and more fidgety as time went by, causing Ziva to roll her eyes. _Play it cool hmph._ Tony had taken to throwing paper balls at McGee, who returned not long after they had.

"Tony, cut it out." McGee said.

"I'm sorry Probie. I keep aiming for the trash can, but I guess my aim is a little off." Tony said.

"Come on, Tony, I know that's not true. I'm sorry for earlier, okay? I didn't know you'd be making out when I came in there. I thought that Ziva hurt you or something."

"It is a valid fear." Ziva commented.

"Wait, you would actually hurt me?" Tony said with a sad look on his face.

"Well not today, but I have in the past and I am certainly not afraid to do it again," she said slyly. He wasn't sure if it was the first threat of their new relationship or if she was referring to the bite mark she left on his shoulder the night before, but either way it was hot.

"You drifting off there, Tony?" McGee asked.

"He is not going anywhere." Ziva said

"He means he thinks I'm not paying attention. What is it with you and the idioms today?"  
"Oh, well you are now, obviously," she said ignoring the second half of his statement.

"yep, and I didn't forget what we were talking about."

And what was that?" McGee asked

"You walking in on us, Probie."

"I already said I'm sorry, what more do you want from me?"

Tony got up from his desk and walked over to McGee, hands on his hips, and a surprisingly serious look on his face. "Don't tell Gibbs. We want to tell him ourselves."

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure he already knows."

"He already knows?"

"What do I already know, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said as he strode into the bullpen.

"Well Boss," Tony began

"DiNozzo, David, my office"

"See, the fact that you just said that tells me that I don't have to tell you.' Tony said as he and Ziva quickly followed Gibbs to the elevator.

"DiNozzo?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Shut up."

"Shutting up, Boss."

As soon as they were in the elevator Gibbs chose a random floor and hit the emergency stop. He just stared at them, letting them fidget just a little bit longer.

"You got something you want to tell me?" He asked looking at them over his cup of coffee sternly.

"Well...the thing is..."

"Too late. What the hell were you two thinking?"

They stood there, stunned in silence

"I knew that this was coming, I saw it years ago, but having sex and then fighting about it is no way to start a relationship." he said, clearly frustrated with the two of them.

"How did you know?" Ziva asked after a moment of silence

"Hickey on your neck. Not hidden as well as you thought."

Ziva frowned, then punched Tony in the arm.

"Hey! Not my fault" he said

"I think it most certainly was." she shot back

"Enough." Gibbs said. "Have you two figured yourselves out?"

"Yes." Ziva said

"And?"

"We are going to start a relationship."

"I don't need to tell you the consequences if this goes bad."

"No." Tony said

"Good. I don't want this to be your downfall. You two are a good team, so don't let this thing go south."

"You're okay with this?" Tony asked.

"I can't stop the two of you from doing this. If you want to give it a shot, you deserve to be happy. But don't screw it up. And DON'T bring it to the office." They nodded in confirmation. "And if either of you hurt the other, you will have me to answer to. You got it?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, Gibbs" they answered simultaneously.

"Good. Come here." They leaned in a little bit closer. He head slapped them both. "That was for bringing it to the office today." As he stepped off of the elevator he slapped them again. "And that's for breaking rule 12."  
"But you said..." Tony started

"I know what I said" As he walked away, he couldn't help but smile.

"Could've been worse." Tony said

"DiNozzo, David, get your asses back in here and give me a sitrep." Tony simply squeezed Ziva's hand, and they ran back to the bullpen, smiles plastered on their faces.


End file.
